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Abscesses in Snakes

Of course, the most obvious thing a snake is its clean
outline and so any lump will soon be noticed. Abscesses can be any size from
tiny (these are sometimes mistaken for parasites) to disfiguringly big. An
odd thing about abscesses in snakes is that the pus inside is firm and not
runny; obviously this has an effect on the treatment as they usually need
surgical removal of the large ones, as they cannot be aspirated or drained.

A word first about treatment

There are books and articles that give instructions on
how to remove an abscess in a snake yourself without recourse to a vet. This
is really not to be recommended unless you are extremely confident, as it
will be distressing for the snake and if, on opening the abscess, you find
yourself unable to continue – some abscesses are extremely foul smelling
when opened – the snake then has an open wound and since it already has an
infection which has caused the abscess, it will be far worse off than it was
before. So the advice is – unless you are absolutely sure you can do it,
take the snake to the vet.

What to look for

Abscesses are basically caused by external trauma (a
bite or injury) or an internal issue (septicaemia, for example). Of the two,
the latter is more worrying because if the blood poisoning is serious enough
to manifest itself as abscesses under the skin or on internal organs, it is
probably quite advanced. If the abscess has a scab on it, then it has been
caused by an infection getting in to broken skin. Sometimes the abscess has
been caused by a bite from either a prey animal or another snake and then
teeth marks may be visible. It is not really ethically acceptable to feed
snakes live mammalian prey from the point of view of either the snake or the
prey and these bites, which can become seriously affected, are only one
reason why it should not be done. When the skin is broken and an infection
gets in, the body responds by sending white cells to the site and the
contents of the abscess are these cells and the bacteria, both living and
dead. If there is no broken skin, this is really quite serious and the
animal should be taken to the vet as soon as possible.

Treatment of abscesses in snakes

The vet will clean out a large abscess, but may not
bother with smaller ones. The advantage of opening up an abscess is that the
contents can be cultured to find exactly what the causative organism is.
Sometimes a fungus will opportunistically invade an abscess, although the
original organism was a bacteria, and then the vet will prescribe an
antibiotic and a fungicide. While the results come back from the lab – all
cultures take a minimum of 24 hours, and if sensitivities are carried out,
to discover the best antibiotic for the treatment it takes longer – the vet
will put the snake on a wide-spectrum antibiotic, so as to waste no more
time. From an external abscess, it is quite possible for generalised
septicaemia to develop, and this should be avoided at all costs.

Prevention of abscesses in snakes

As always, prevention is the key to the wellbeing of
the animal, and clean surroundings are essential. The snake should not be
left with a wet floor to its environment, old, rotting food should not be
left in with the snake and the snake should be examined daily, to make sure
all is well. Some snakes do not tolerate handling, but an abscess will be
very clear visually, so this should be no problem. If the snake is
off-colour and clearly unwell and it is not shedding its skin, then the
inspection should be more thorough as abscesses can become very invasive and
difficult to treat if the infection becomes systemic. If there is more than
one snake in the environment, then the affected snake should be removed, not
just because it has an infection, but because it will probably be feeling
quite unwell and may, depending on the site of the abscess, be in some pain,
so it would be better for it if it were to be isolated until the treatment
is at least underway. If the vet has surgically cleaned the site, it should
be kept as clean as possible and this is easier when there is only one
snake.

Septicaemia

Septicaemia is serious, as by the time the abscesses
appear under the skin, the infection has quite a grip on the animal, which
has probably been showing signs of ill health for at least a short while
before the lumps appear. Because the abscesses are in the body cavity,
surgical intervention will be quite invasive and many vets would X-ray or
ultrasound the snake before taking this step. One thing to be very aware of
as an owner is that the causative organism of abscesses in snakes is often
salmonella, which of course is as dangerous to humans and other animals as
it is to snakes. Scrupulous care should be taken with hygiene if a snake is
ill in this way to prevent cross infection not only to other snakes and
pets, but also to the people caring for them. This is another reason that
treating the snake yourself is not a good idea – scalpels, a wriggling snake
and salmonella are not a happy combination.

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